Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme has been running successfully at BCS for several years. The national Award is a challenging programme of activities which encourages participants to discover and develop personal interests and social and practical skills, to help individuals or the community at large, to improve their performance in a sport or physical activity, and to enjoy the spirit of adventure and discovery in the outdoors. It is a magnificent opportunity to achieve a nationally-recognised Award that is fun to take part in, will develop character and life skills, can help other people and will be an impressive contribution to qualifications and curriculum vitae when progressing with education and career.

During the Summer term of Year 9 all students undertake a challenging programme of outdoor adventure activities which provide training for the expedition section of the Award. Enrolment into the Award is then offered at the end of Year 9 so that time is available during Year 10 to achieve the introductory Bronze level well before the start of Year 11 during which the Silver level can be undertaken, sympathetically integrated with preparation for GCSE examinations.

Bronze expeditions are undertaken on the Isle of Purbeck and in the New Forest, becoming progressively more challenging in preparation for those in wild country of Exmoor and the Brecon Beacons at Silver level. Participants work within groups to acquire campcraft and navigation skills. Early morning breakfasts, such as this one in the New Forest, are the norm.

BCS is proud of the relationship that it has nurtured with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Most participants on the D of E Scheme at Bronze level undertake a programme of classroom, swimming pool and beach training with officers, lifeboat crew and lifeguards of the RNLI. In return the participants and the school raises funds for the Poole-based charity through a sponsored swim.

Our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants really are tough. They spent a cold March day with the RNLI Lifeguards on the local beach at Sandbanks filming for an ITV documentary about the Duke of Edinburgh himself. Our pupils provided footage to show how they enjoy participating in and gaining from the Award which he set up half a century ago.